The Rix
Humans have created their own gods since the late 21st century with the Transcendentals and the AIA. The Rix are a civilization that worships the Aia and works towards their ends and to create more.
The origins of the Rix are confused, as is the meaning of their name. There are elements of their society that echo beliefs of some of the early AI researchers that created the AIA. Whether these are recreations or actually descended from those beliefs is the province of psychohistorical researchers and historians at this point.
The Rix are a caste based, single sex society. They are (largely) parthenogenic using DNA manipulation to increase genetic variation. They also use replicators to create sperm and ova for specialized purposes.
The Rix have used this to alter themselves substantially – sometimes as much as the Stardwellers or Mechanicans. The ruling caste makes extensive use of pheremones, as well as brain alterations and extensive metatechnological studies to make themselves more convincing to their subordinates and outsiders. The thinkers have neural meshes and alterations allowing for faster thinking and enhanced modes of thought (or even parallel processing). Other specialized castes have alterations suitable for their jobs, most of them sensory, or allowing improved tool use.
As a civilization, they have replaced their blood with a fluid that does double duty as blood and a lymph system making them incredibly resistant to disease and most nanotech plagues. Their joints are incredibly efficient and they tend to be hairless, though some cultivate it as individual expression or as part of their job. They can pass for human, especially with minor disguise and if they alter their body language and typical birdlike motions in movement.
The notable exception to this are the warrior castes. Their alterations draw from genetics and cybernetics. Unlike the other Rix, their cognitive alterations are solely concerned with memory and enhanced reaction time (typically at the cost of empathy and human feeling). They also don't have hearts – they actually have turbines instead. Their bones are made of nano fiber and ceramics, which while it makes repair and healing difficult (not always an issue for a warrior caste Rix – they are ultimately considered disposable), makes them very durable. They also have alterations that make them equally comfortable in free fall as well as higher gravity (up to 2 g). A minor design quirk that autopsies cannot answer (and the Rix have not told anyone the answer to) is that nano fiber plates are visible at the soles of the feet, knee, elbow and shoulder. The advantage of this remains unknown but Mechanican engineers speculate that it is for the attachment of mission specific accessories.
Overall, their goal is to bootstrap as many Familiars (be it Servitor, Bonsai or Scout) into full blown Aia status. Their methods range from piracy and hacking to simple purchase (though the Stored stopped selling to known Rix centuries ago). They also serve as a (known) cutout for actions the Aia try to keep at a distance from themselves (and their servers), as well as a option for maintenance and creation of new Aia habitat. The last is a long term goal of the Rix and the AIA.
The Rix govern themselves through a genetic caste and dictates revealed to them by the AIA. This has lead to their actions in the attempt to form a Dyson Cloud at 3152 Volantis, the mass liberation of Familiars from the Stored and the subsequent conflict with the Stored, their loyal Familiars and Mechanican mercenaries. It has also lead to some interesting breakthroughs in Stringtech that the Aia found but would have taken to long to prove out from their viewpoints.
Like the Mechanicans, they only have one core value. Psychohistorians speculate that the Rix have only persisted as long as they have is because of Aia intervention. Without it, they feel it is likely the Rix would splinter along caste lines.
Because of their goals, the Rix seldom get along with most civilizations and its members. Their intelligence arm has agents in most places, but once revealed are rooted out with prejudice by security and counterintelligence. They frequently come into conflict with the Stored (and their daughter civilizations), the Mechanicans (several design groups are intensely interested in their warrior caste designs) and the Stardwellers (industrial espionage). They usually don't have any use for other civilizations save as a source of AIs, which can be a cause for commerce or conflict.
Emblem: None
Common Name: Rix
Benefit: All members of the Rix civilization receive a neural mesh and may have a Scout AI with Cognitech four greater than the character.
Inspector Status: None. Typically they are hostile to inspectors, but there have been occasional missions and shared interests. Approach with caution.
Core Values: Worship of the Aia
Worship of the Aia, can be used to resist attempts to convince them that the Aia are not a superior species, to resist commands to betray the Rix or the Aia. Because of this, the Rix will do anything to help the Aia achieve their goals.
| Civilization | Bio | Cog | Meta | Nano | String |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rix | 4-10 | 4-10 | 5-10 | 4-10 | 1-10 |
